A Second Chance
by Sol's Darkness
Summary: Reincarnation: Noun- Rebirth of the soul into another body via the magic of an entity called 'Clockwork'. The strange, floating man smiled at Harry. "There are such things as second chances."
1. A Second Chance

A Second Chance

…

As Ginny and Harry Potter watched the mechanical, ethereal man floating around and blasting holes in brick walls, Ginny just had to comment:

"You couldn't have picked a safer place for us and the kids to take a vacation?"

…

Harry had finally decided that he wanted to take a break from Auror-work. It was tiring, to say the least, but had had been spending less and less time with his family and friends, as work had been piling on top of him.

When he had heard some friends at the Ministry talking about a place called 'Amity Park' in the States, he decided that that sounded like a great place to drag Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and the kids off to for a break.

Too bad he hadn't done his research.

…

Things weren't looking good for the muggles. The four of-age wizards exchanged a look, ready to take out their wands and fight.

And that was when something that hadn't since the battle with Voldemort had occurred: Harry's scar burned with such a fiery temper that it was hard to stay conscious, let alone standing and silent.

"Harry!"

Ginny, with the help of her brother, caught him as he collapsed with a cry of pain.

"What's wrong, Daddy?" Sweet, sweet Lily. The bravest of the bunch.

"N- nothing…"

"Harry, something is obviously wrong." Hermione sounded slightly insulted.

"My scar- it burns…"

Everyone's eyes widened, as they knew what that meant.

Ron spoke up. "But we killed him!"

"But he's back nonetheless… there's no one else my scar would react to," Harry gritted out.

Then, they heard gasps of varied amounts of adoration, relief, and happiness. As well as hatred and fear. Muggles were pointing up towards the sky.

There was another ethereal figure floating, this time a boy of about fourteen with white hair and toxic green eyes.

The boy looked around, bothered by something, and and spotted Harry. The man's forehead burned with a new ferocity.

_Why?_

…

The boy took care of the cyborg with surprising ease, like he had done it many times before. While the wizards had assumed both were fellow magic-folk, they didn't use wands and had abilities never seen in the wizard in world before.

With instruction from his mother, James put on Harry's invisibility cloak and quietly tracked the boy.

He saw the strange boy fly into an alley and followed him in.

The boy looked around, checking that he was alone, and two rings of white light traveled over his body, giving him messy black hair and shimmering blue eyes.

To say James was shocked was an understatement. But he had a job to do.

He whispered a spell that he never thought would come in handy before: one that put the image he was currently looking at on paper, full color. He stowed the picture away and quietly returned to his group.

…

Harry's breath caught in his throat as he looked at the picture his son had conjured. It may not look exactly like him, but it was unmistakeable: the strange boy was Tom Marvolo Riddle, before he was resurrected.

…

Ding-dong!

Harry impatiently rang the doorbell of… Fentonworks. The person they had asked about the boy was right when they said that the place was 'unmistakeable'.

Harry was about to ring the bell for the second time when the door popped open, revealing a beaming man in… an orange jumpsuit. This must be Jack Fenton.

"Hey! Who are you? Comin' about ghosts?" Jack's voice was as big as he was.

Harry had to take a couple of seconds to find his voice. "Umm, no. I was hoping I could talk to your son, Danny?"

Jack's grin, if possible, seemed to get wider. "Of course! Come on in!" He turned. "Maddie! We have guests!"

A woman in a blue jumpsuit, Maddie, appeared next to her husband. "Oh, hello! I'm Maddie, and this is Jack. So, ghost problem?"

Hermione looked confident. "No, we're from out of town. We're psychologists, and we think your son might have some severe psychological issues. May we talk to him, privately?"

Harry inwardly cringed at the worries look of the two parents. Not the most comfortable cover story. He knew that he would be worried if someone he didn't know sprang this on him.

"Of course. We'll go get him." Maddie dragged Jack up the stairs.

A few minutes later, a grumpy teenage boy trudged, reluctantly, down the steps.

Harry's head felt like it was struck by lightning.

"What do you want? You don't look like ghosts. What are you, Guys in White undercover?" He drawled.

Guys in White? Harry shook his head. Probably some silly American thing. "No, Tom."

"My name's not Tom, whoever you are."

"Don't play games with me, Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr. I recognize you. Now tell me, how did you manage to come back again?"

Tom was starting to look creeped out. "My name is Daniel Fenton! I think you have the wrong guy!"

And he ran up the stairs. The Golden Trio made a quick retreat.

…

All of them were at a food joint that the kids had begged to go to for lunch, called 'Nasty Burger'. It probably didn't have anything to do with the quality of the food, because of the fact that there were kids of all ages entering.

There was only one empty booth, which was, thankfully, large enough for them all.

As soon as they sat down, though, Harry's vision went black with pain.

…

Danny heard a loud thump from behind him, accompanied by worried gasps.

He glanced behind him.

"Oh, great," he grumbled. "It's the 'psychologists' again."

Tucker and Sam had identical looks of confusion.

"Umm… what psychologists?" Asked Tucker, concerned.

"Three of those creeps stopped by my house earlier, pretending to be teen psychologists thinking I had an issue with my psych. They kept calling me 'Tom Marvolo Riddle' and asking how I came back." Suddenly he frowned. "I hate that name! It just sounds… wrong! Like naming me Jack!"

Sam glanced at the ravenette. "Where did that come from?"

"I- I don't know."

…

When Harry's vision cleared, he saw something that shocked him: Tom, or Danny, sitting in the booth in front of him, laughing with a African-American in a red beret and a girl dressed in all black.

Tom would never do that.

All of a sudden, Harry felt like he had the breath knocked out of him, doubling over alongside the rest of the people at the table.

His vision blurred, and his hearing was like he was underwater.

He looked up and saw that time had, seemingly, stopped. There was a faintly shimmering amulet on his chest.

There was a man floating by him, who, when he opened his mouth, just turned and pointed to Danny.

There was now a shifting under-image on him. Tom Marvolo Riddle.

Then, to his shock, he saw Fred. Or, the image of Fred over the African-American boy. And Tonks, with the girl.

The man smiled. "There are such things as second chances."

And time resumed.

…

Harry, back at his home in London, looked at the book he had checked out from the Ministry's library.

Reincarnation~ Noun~ Rebirth of the soul into another body via the magic of an entity called 'Clockwork'

Harry smiled. It looks like Fred, Tonks, and… Tom… were getting a second chance.

…

I don't like how this turned out. :P I'll redo it sometime maybe.

Review!


	2. Keep Watch

Keep Watch

…

Per request, I'm continuing. I have a small idea…

…

Harry Potter frowned, deep in thought, in front of the statue that guarded the headmaster's office in Hogwarts. Should he, or should he not?

Would it do good, or would it not?

He should. It would do good.

"Acid pops," He forced out. (Professor McGonagal kept up the tradition of candy passwords.) The gargoyle smiled cheekily at him, waving, and sprang aside. Harry waved back and proceeded up the stairs.

The headmistress herself lifted her head in surprise as Harry stepped into the room. "Mr. Potter, I was not expecting you."

"I wasn't expecting myself to be here either, Professor." The Auror looked around the familiar room. "Brings back memories."

The old woman nodded, smiling sadly. "Yes, it does, Mr. Potter. But you are a bit old to be calling me Professor, now. Call me Minerva. I am hardly your teacher anymore."

"Alright, but then you call me Harry. I'm hardly your student anymore."

"Well played, Harry. Well, I know you didn't come to chat. Why exactly did you come?" Minerva stared at Harry over the top of her spectacles, much in the way Dumbledore used too.

"I need to talk to Dumbledore."

The headmistress glanced, shocked, over he shoulder at the slightly smiling portrait. "What for? You can tell me also, can't you?"

"I need his advice. Though, it would be good to get two opinions…" Harry rubbed his temples. "It's about Voldemort."

Both headmasters remained silent, watching Harry silently. He took that as a sign to continue. "I was on a vacation with my family, in this place in America, called Amity Park. And there was a boy."

"A boy?" Dumbledore's twinkling eyes were interested. Harry couldn't help but think about how perfectly the painter had captured the old man.

"Yes. Daniel Fenton." Minerva drew in a sharp breath.

"Fenton? As in, the son of Maddie Fenton?"

"Yes. Where did you know her from?"

The old woman smiled. "She was a very talented Ravenclaw back when you were in Hogwarts."

Harry blinked. "So she knew I wasn't a psychologist?"

"What?"

"Never mind." She had most likely recognized him. She must have trusted him, to pretend to go along. "Well, Amity Park has a ghost problem. Except the ghosts aren't like the normal type. They're tangible. And strange, dangerous. Not like poltergeists, but, they can shoot beams of energy, manipulate objects, manipulate the same energy as the beams are made of, and they attack that town. But there's one, who the locals call 'Danny Phantom'. He's the town hero, I guess. He's also a 'ghost', but he fights others of his kind and drives them off. Well. When he arrived, my scar felt like it was struck by lightning." He waited for their reactions. Just like he thought: alarmed for Dumbledore, and fearful from Minerva. "He fought off the ghost, but when he flew off, Ginny had James put on the invisibility cloak and track him. And when Phantom landed in an alley, he turned into one Danny Fenton." And at this he took out the picture that James had made, and set it down.

Dumbledore nodded, frowning. "That is Tom. He may have a disguise, but that is most certainly Tom."

"But that's the thing, that's Danny and Tom at the same time. We were at this restaurant, and time seemed to stop. Danny was in the booth behind us, and was frozen mid laugh with a girl dressed in black and an African-American boy in a red beret. And there was this odd man, that looked like one of the Amity Park ghosts, and he said, 'there's such a thing as a second chance'. And I could kinda see a blurred image over each of the three friends, Danny had an image of a younger Tom, his friend in the beret had Fred, and the girl was Tonks.

"Later, when I got back, I looked up 'reincarnation' in one of the Ministry's dictionaries. The man was Clockwork, and he allowed Tom to be reincarnated into Danny Fenton, I think. What should I do? Fred and Tonks' spirits should keep Tom from going bad, but I don't know if we should just leave him…"

Dumbledore nodded. "There is a theory that muggle-borns are magical because they are the reincarnated spirits of wizards. And is there any chance that Maddie has lots of muggle technology around?"

Harry nodded, confused. "Yes, she's a ghost hunter with her husband. They use lots of muggle tech, though I wouldn't be surprised if it's infused with a little bit of magic."

"Then he and his friends will come to Hogwarts. We shall keep a watch on Danny here. I can guarantee that all three have magical ability."

Harry nodded. "Should I inform the Ministry? And what about his sister?"

Minerva stood. "Under no circumstances must you inform the Ministry. They still have a tendency to panic and jump to the worst conclusions, even if their Minister is a perfectly reasonable and logical man. Is his sister older or younger?"

"Older."

"Then if she shows magical ability away from muggle tech, she will have to get a tutor. Now, go take these letters to their families." Minerva sat. "You are dismissed."

…

Harry had never been one for taking orders. So he decided to inform only the Minister: Kingsley.

The man nodded, speaking in his resonant bass. "I agree with Minerva and Albus. Go take the letters right now, and inform Maddie. Keep in touch, because you," he added, "will be the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"But what about the old one?"

"Karl? I'll inform him that he will have to step down for security reasons, and will be going into a paid retirement for several years. Is that suitable?"

"Yes, Minister."

…

Ding-dong…

Harry waited nervously for Maddie Fenton to appear in the door. Now that he thought about it, he had had a Maddie Fenton in the DA.

Creak! Maddie was standing in the doorway. "Yes, Harry Potter?"

"I'm here on Hogwarts business, Maddie. Oh, I'm sorry for lying that I'm a psychologist."

"Oh, that's quite all right. Come in!"

They sat at the table. "Maddie, we've recently realized that your son is magic, and that all of the muggle tech in this house was blocking it." He had decided not to beat around the bush.

Maddie pressed her lips together. "I promised Jack that I wouldn't use magic, though. That we could be a normal family."

Harry wasn't sure how normal a family of ghost hunters who knew how to use all weapons and knew martial arts was, but he didn't mention it. "It's really important for Danny to go to Hogwarts. Trust me."

…

Luckily, the African-American boy, Tucker's, parents and the girl in black, Samantha's, parents were ecstatic about the news and understanding. (Harry donated a large amount of wizard money so they could buy their supplies… and get snacks on the snack trolley.)

Luckily for them, he also did what Hagrid had never done for him, inform him of the barrier at the King's Cross.

"Danny and Tucker are also going," He had said to the Mansons.

"Danny and Sam are also going," He had said to the Foleys.

"Sam and Tucker are also going," He had said to Maddie.

He assumed that they would be traveling together.

He also assumed that Minerva and Dumbledore knew the gamble they were taking. Because if they lost this one, they could lose not just their lives, but muggles', students', and other wizards'.

…

Headcanon: modern muggle tech suppresses magic.

I hope that the two lovely people who reviewed and read are happy with this chapter! I have a plot ready, thank you for encouraging me.


	3. Sorted Out

Sorted Out

…

_Headcanon: after PP, Danny went to Clockwork and got help from a one of Clockwork's friends to make sure nobody but his family, friends, and the ghosts remember his identity._

_Just to let everyone know, this isn't going to be some, 'they all go to Hogwarts and have some troubles and sneak around at night and other stuff the Harry and his gang did, or like they did' story. This is about a reincarnated Tom Riddle. Okay?_

…

Danny didn't want to go to a school called Hogwarts, especially because it was recommended by one of the '_psychologists_'. Even if it was a magic school that his mom and dad went to.

He had a job to do in Amity Park! He couldn't just abandon it, especially since he was the most effective at detaining ghosts. He couldn't leave them to be captured by the Guys in White. Believe it or not, he and most of the ghosts actually were (sort of) friends. The battles were mostly for the amusement of both parties, and they never seriously hurt each other. Like professional football. It's a game. That you can get hurt in.

"… ooh, and to take you, Tucker, and Sam on your first trip to Diagon Alley! I wonder what your wand will be, oh, and your house! I was in Ravenclaw myself, your father was in Gryffindor. This is so exciting! And-"

"Mom, _I don't want to go_." Maddie just stared, wide-eyed.

"You don't want to go? Why? This is the chance of a lifetime! Hardly anyone from America gets accepted into Hogwarts, it's mostly for Europe. Usually magical folk get called to the Salem Witch Institute, but it's not nearly as good as Hogwarts." His mom was practically glowing as she talked about the school who's name meant 'pig zits'.

"I have to do Phantom's job, remember?" Danny scowled in annoyance.

"Oh, don't worry! Jack, Valerie, and I will do it. You have nothing to worry about! Please, Danny." She suddenly looked tired. Uh-oh. Danny knew this trick: the guilt trip. "I only want what's best for you."

Danny's will was crumbling. "Um-um… what about Dad?"

"He'll understand! If anything, he'll be proud."

"Casper?"

"I'll talk to Mr. Lancer. He's a relative of one of the teachers at Hogwarts. Said teacher is a ghost, but it really makes sense. Lancer's a squib."

Danny eyed his mother funnily. "One of the teachers is a _ghost_? Squib? And what's the teacher's name?!"

Maddie laughed. "Oh, don't worry. They have a different type of ghost. A squib is someone who is born into a magical family, but doesn't have magic. The teacher is Mr. Binns, who teaches History of Magic. Everyone falls asleep in his class." _That does make sense_, thought Danny.

And Danny's excuses had run out. "… _Fine_…"

The ghost huntress squealed like a little girl and hugged her son.

"Mom… can't… breathe…"

…

"Well, at least he's not as grumpy as he is at Christmas time," Sam whispered to Tucker as Jack, Jazz, Danny, Tucker, and herself gathered around Maddie.

Maddie spoke up then. "Remember, Danny and Tucker with Jack, and Jazz and Sam are going with me. Always hold the hand of the apparator. Otherwise, you will either be left behind or some of your body parts will be left behind, which, Jazz, is called 'splinting'. It's a very messy and painful thing, so follow directions."

Nobody needed any more reasons to follow them.

**CRACK!**

They were gone.

…

Danny hadn't had very big expectations for someplace that's name was 'diagonally' with an E and a space. But he was amazed.

He knew that Sam would love that potion ingredient store, as it was full of magical plants. Jazz was gazing at Flourish and Blott's, which, judging by the display, was a bookstore. He and Tucker were enraptured with the large, and apparently very popular, 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes' store, as it seemed to be a joke shop.

Pranks were pretty fun, if harmless, (Danny had been victim to some pranks that had been damaging to his health thanks to Dash) and magic ones were even better.

But of course his mom was dragging him towards the robe shop. Madame Malkin's.

All woman love clothes shopping, even if she wouldn't admit it. His girlfriend loved finding new goth clothes, and could spend hours finding the perfect pair of combat boots. Danny had found that out the hard way a long time ago, when they had just become close friends. But even though the robes for Hogwarts were supposed to be black, Sam didn't seem very interested.

…

Danny, Sam, and Tucker ran out of the robe shop, practically drinking the fresh, cool air. That shop was stuffy, and they were through with being measured. Especially Danny, as it felt like they were preparing to dissect him.

Maddie strolled out, followed by a a Jack Fenton, who had just barely been able to stop himself from running out along with the kids. "All right, I just figured we'd get the most boring part out of the way first. Where to next, kids?"

Jazz opened her mouth, most likely about to say 'Flourish and Blott's', but Danny beat her to it. "Let's go to Olivander's!"

Maddie smiled. "I haven't seen Mr. Olivander's since I got _my_ wand! Well, what are we waiting for?" And she started walking ahead in her brisk pace.

They were there in no time. The bell tinkled as they opened the door to the musty shop, the smell of fresh pine overwhelming them.

Tucker looked around. "Maybe he's not here."

"I'm always here." The old voice came from the back, and they heard the footsteps of a very old man as he worked his way toward the front. At last, his white-haired head around one of the shelves. "These children are a bit old to be getting their first wands, aren't they? Maddie, Jack, it is good to see you again. Unicorn hair core," Olivander said, pointing to Maddie, "pine, firm, sixteen inches." He looked at Jack, "Dragon heart string, oak, sturdy, thirteen inches."

Jack beamed. "You still have it, Oli! (The old man grimaced at the nickname.) But these three are getting their wands. Special circumstances, as we had so much ectoplasmic ghost hunting equipment, and it's genius, too! The Fenton Weasel-"

Maddie quickly cut in. "Can you please get them one? Tucker, you first."

The nervous boy stepped forward. "How will you know which one's mine? Is it a blood test? Hospital equipment?! SNAKES?!"

"No, none of those, Mr. Foley." ("How does he know my last name?!") "It's on your strange muggle device. Now, let's try this one…"

…

It was Danny's turn. Tucker had ended up getting a wand of white birch, with a Phoenix feather core, nice and flexible, ten inches. Sam had a hazel wand, with a dragon heart string, strong yet supple, eleven inches. They were both very happy with theirs.

Olivander looked very hard at Danny, eyes squinting. He walked to a shelf, and grabbed one off. "Unicorn hair, holly, brittle, nine inches."

Danny waved it. Outside, there was a scream. They raced over to the window, only to discover pink fireworks popping in people's faces. "No, no." As soon as the wand maker took the wand from him, the light show faded. "Phoenix feather, oak, ten inches, bendy."

Everybody's hair was frozen in funny positions. "Nope." Danny had to hold in his laughter, as Sam had devil horns, his dad had an ice Afro, Tucker had an ice Mohawk on top of his beret, and he didn't know how to describe Olivander and the two red-haired women's.

Olivander snatched the wand from Danny's hand, and drew his own, melting the ice. "Dragon heart string, beech, stiff, eleven inches."

A green blast shattered the window. "No," the old wand maker sighed, "he hasn't taken to any of my usual core ingredients. I'll have to use some imported ones." He shuffled all the way to the back of the shop, and returned a few minutes later. "This is one of the better imported ones. Thestral hair, chankiri wood, unyielding, eleven inches."

As soon as Danny took it in his hands, he knew it was the right one. Though it felt sorrowful, like it had seen evil that it hadn't been able to stop, it just felt right. He waved it, and a cool breeze swept through the shop, giving it a fresh scent.

The old man smiled in triumph. "Yes! This is the one. Now, what about the lovely young lady with the red hair?"

Maddie answered, "We're not sure if she has magical talent yet. If she does, we'll be back! So, how much?"

"Ten galleons." The woman's lips tightened, but payed the large sum. In was probably just as expensive to import wands.

…

"Can we pleeeeaaaaase go to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Mrs. Fenton? Pleeaase?" Tucker was practically hanging onto her leg.

It wasn't helping her mood that Jack had also joined in. "Can we, Maddie? C'mon?"

"… if I give you both fudge will you stop so we can go home and read your books?"

"Yes!" A deep voice boomed.

"No!" Shouted a squeakier one.

Maddie sighed. "Alright Tucker, I'll take you. But this is a shifter part of the Alley, we're by Nocturne. So just take my hand and we'll be on our way." Tucker, being the unused-to-magic boy he is, took the hand.

**CRACK!**

They were gone.

**CRACK!**

Maddie was back. "I'll take Sam and Danny. Jack, you get Jazz."

**CRACK!**

…

Danny rubbed his sensitive ears. Why did apparation have to be so loud? Especially with his extra-keen ghostly hearing.

He fingered his wand. The wood was a polished black, and it had strange runes on it, as well as a swirling pattern. It was also very smooth and reflective. If not for the distinct woody feeling, he might think that it was metal.

He had spent the rest of the day being educated on basic wizard knowledge, and memorizing spells, though he didn't get to use them. He would get to try on the train, though.

His mom had just apparated to tell her sister the good news, though she hadn't bothered to step out of the room.

Danny wasn't looking forward much to the train ride. He would have preferred to fly alongside the train, but apparently there was 'special magical barriers'. Also, she wanted him to socialize more. He had enough friends in Tucker, Sam, Val, and the ghosts! It was completely unnecessary!

He thought about the houses. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff (he had snickered at that one), and Slytherin. He hadn't liked the sound of the last one. Even though some were nice, he had heard most were cruel as hell. Danny wanted to be in Gryffindor, it sounded cool. Though Ravenclaw would be fine, too.

"Danny, dinner!"

Thank the Ghost Zone that Jazz was cooking.

…

Danny had run through tons of walls in his lifetime, mostly while intangible. (Mostly- there was the occasional time he had been thrown through by a ghost.) But never had he been expected to run through while purposely tangible.

If he hadn't seen magic first hand, he would have thought his mom and finally lost it.

He took a breath and ran through.

The other side was filled with steam, and he could make out the vague forms of other people, all flocking toward a large red train.

The color of the locomotive was strange, magical in its own right. A painter would kill to get that color, a soft velvet-rust red, faintly glowing in its own steam. Soft yet rough.

He let out a nostalgic sigh. He had miss-

Danny frowned. What had that thought been? What had he been thinking? What-

"Ghost Zone to Danny!" A pair of fingers snapped in front of Danny's face, and he jumped. Tucker looked warily at his best friend. "Finally, you're awake! What, didja see the future or something?"

Danny blinked, he must have been out of it. Tucker and Sam had learned not to surprise him the hard way a long time ago. He couldn't help it if he was jumpy! Tuck, Sam, and Danny had gotten lucky that there was no frozen friends, ghost rays, or intangible Danny.

And like that, he forgot about the strange thought all together. "Yup. I saw you accepting your feminine side."

Both boys cracked up, while Sam just rolled her eyes, hands on her hips.

"Looks like you two are having a fantastic time. Meanwhile, a certain red train is about to leave!"

Danny looked up to see that she was right. The conductor was making his final calls.

He looked up at Maddie, Jack, and Jazz, knowing that he won't see them for a while. "I love you guys. You know, I should say that more often than I do… I love you guys. See ya!" He tackled them all in an unexpected hug, and ran on board the train, closely followed by Sam and Tuck.

…

"Ugh! This is so unethical! You give frogs made out of chocolate life, and then you eat them? That's so… wrong!" Sam had been on this tirade for a while.

Danny leaned over and kissed his girlfriend on the cheek, effectively shutting the goth up.

"Thank you, Danny! I'd forgotten what silence had sounded like! Sweet, sweet silence…" Tucker trailed off, eyes closed.

"Trust me. You don't forget the sound of silence until you meet Mr. Binns."

All three fifth years looked up at the new voice, which belonged to a boy with neat brown hair and ocean-blue eyes, in a robe with the Gryffindor colors on them. "I'm Albus Potter, by the way."

Sam stood up, smiling. "I'm Sam Manson, that's Tucker Foley, and this pessimist here is Danny Fenton." Only Danny saw something strange flicker through Albus's eyes at his name.

"Hey, I'm not a pessimist!"

"Yes you are, I'm just giving Albus here a warning. Right Tucker?"

"I'm sorry, Danny, but I have to agree with Sam for this one." Tucker smirked. Danny just huffed and glared at the window.

"Well, I'll make sure to keep that in mind. Anyway, are you guys transfers or something? Because you don't have any house colors on your robes." Albus had narrowed his eyes curiously.

"Yeah, we're coming into fifth year," commented Danny.

"I'm in fifth year too! It's nice to meet you. Anyway, I'm going to go find my friends again, and my brother, James… well, see you!" And with that, he turned on heel and strolled out of the compartment.

Sam smiled. "He was a nice guy."

…

To say Danny was annoyed was the understatement of the year.

He had a job to do, and instead his parents were making him stand in a line with a bunch of twelve-year-olds to get put in a house to compete with others! What if a seriously dangerous ghost came to Amity and he wasn't there?!

Stupid wizards.

On top of that, he had to listen to a hat sing while the twelve-year-olds gasped. He had seen stranger.

And then, he had to wait while the first years were sorted, and only then could he and his friends be sorted by a stupid hat. A stupid, old, raggedy hat. (He was aware that he was being completely unfair to the hat, but he had to take his anger out on something.)

The Headmistress stepped up onto the podium. "Now, we have three students with… special circumstances joining us in the fifth year. They will attempt to catch up best they can, so please don't harass them. Come in, you three." As Danny, Tucker, and Sam stepped into the hall with the admittedly beautiful ceiling, McGonagal continued. "They are transfers from America. Daniel Fenton!"

Danny scowled at the use of his full name, but quickly cleared his face and strolled up, jamming the sorting hat on his head.

He felt all eyes on him.

_You'll have to lower your barriers, Daniel. They're probably for good reason, but to be sorted, I have to see into your mind._

_You'll tell everyone._

_Hmmm, interesting. You don't seem surprised that I talk in your head? And whatever happens stays between us, you needn't worry._

_I've seen stranger._ And, reluctantly, a Danny granted access to his mind, lowering the carefully crafted walls that had been meant to keep people like Freakshow, Nocturne, and even this hat out.

_Ahh, very brave, Danny, very brave, but that isn't your strongest quality, is it? It's not courage if you already know you have the power to do it. You're smart, if you try, but you would have been much more book wise if you had payed attention in class. Oh, don't get snappy, I'm just stating the obvious. You have more street smarts than almost anyone else, that's impressive. But you won't fit in with the Ravenclaws, you didn't want to come here._

Danny hadn't known how much he was scowling in annoyance until he got rejected from both of the houses he was hoping for. There went any chance of being like his parents. But he never was like them, was he?

_Well, we don't always get what we want, Danny. You know that very well. You're extremely loyal and hard working, even when Amity Park hated you with all their hearts, and you kept on protecting them. But no, that's not it, either. What fits you most is cunning, from the 'witty banter' to your strategies while fighting opponents tougher than yourself. You know how to keep a secret, and though you're not always the smartest, you get it right in the end… the house you belong in is…_

"SLYTHERIN!"

…

Harry, from his place at the staff table, let out a held breath. Yes, this was yet another sign that they would have to always have at least one eye on Danny Fenton.

…

While the Slytherins clapped, frantically making room for the currently ill-tempered boy, it was Tucker's turn.

It was hard to refrain from laughing when he saw pure horror on Tucker's face, and could guess what it was: he had forgotten to tell Tuck that non-magical tech didn't work at Hogwarts. The geek would just have to make due without his PDA for a bit.

At the end, the hat opened its 'mouth', and called out…

"GRYFINDOR!"

It hit Danny like a slap to the face. Tucker was always talking about how chicken he could be…

"Samantha Manson!" Sam now knew why Danny had scowled as McGonagal had called his name.

She smirked while hearing the hat.

"RAVENCLAW!"

Danny sighed. While he was miserable that he hadn't been in the same house as his best friends, he was also glad that they hadn't gotten the house with the worst reputation.

…

_Don't like this ending :P_

_I think we all know why Danny's in Slytherin (there are such thing as good ones, probably) and Sam's in Ravenclaw, but Tucker will probably be explained in the next chapter._

_Review please!_


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